Sooooo Angry I Could Just SPIT!

There are times in my life that I get exceptionally angry. Very quickly. It usually comes out of no where and rises up when I least expect it. It usually happens when I am frustrated, or inconvenienced or some other benign thing that sets me off.

It doesn't happen that often, but it happens. Just like last night.

Let me share with you a classic example of this- last night I needed to make some copies for something. They were color. I was putting them in a binder. They needed to look nice.

I spent a few hours on this thing, emailed them to the office supply store by my house and asked for them to call me when they were done. When they were done, my daughter and I went there, picked them up, stopped by the store and bought some lunchables, and came home.

When I got to my office, I realised that my cursory glance at my copies were not sufficient enough to notice that my copies were done wrong. I wont go into great detail, but basically, I needed each page separate, and four of the pages had been duplexed, with the opposite side upside down, so they were worthless to me.

I got really angry. Really fast. Things like that frustrate me to no end. Frustrated because the copy girl didn't double check her work. Frustrated because I didn't double check it when I was there. Frustrated because I had to go out again when it was 8pm and I wanted to start watching football. Frustrated because I was burning gas to drive back.

I called them and told them I was coming back to get my copies re-done.

I got in my SUV, and was steaming the whole way there. I ran scenarios in my head and what I was going to say to that girl, and how I was going to swipe my arm across the counter and scream "THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!! I WANT THE MANAGER!!!". Literally, I envisioned myself plowing my truck through the front door of the store, copies in hand, screaming about my 4 pages of incorrect copies.

When I came through the front door of the store, I took a deep breath, and walked up to the counter, and the girl who messed up my copies that ruined my entire existence turned around and smiled at me. "Oh, are you the one that called?. I am so sorry this happened"

I looked at her and thought about my frustration and how I was going to respond.

"That's okay" I said. "No one died. Its an honest mistake, we all make them from time to time".

I stood there for about 2 mins while she made my copies, I smiled. Took them and drove home. Less angry. Less frustrated. Less worried that I would have made a complete jerk of myself at the copy center that I frequent.

It is possible to get angry and not explode. Its possible to be frustrated and not take it out on someone else. Its not easy, but it is possible. I think that people don't realize at times that everyone gets angry, its just how you deal with it that is the issue.

The Bible says that anger is inevitable, but when you are angry, not to sin. Let that be an encouragement to you today. If you get angry take a moment to think about where you are, what you are doing and why you are angry and then do what I do when I'm mad.

Absolutely nothing. Just smile, swallow your pride, and thank God that you have another day to live. Taking your anger out on someone else does nothing but hurt them.

Be Blessed
matt